Copy Cat Olive Garden salad recipe - Better than the original! (2024)

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This Copy Cat Olive Garden salad recipe is the perfect make at home recipe of the restaurant version. With crisp lettuce, pepperoncini peppers, onions, tomatoes, black olives, croutons and homemade Olive Garden salad dressing. This hearty salad is perfect as a side dish, or add some grilled chicken or shrimp to make it a meal.

Copy Cat Olive Garden salad recipe - Better than the original! (1)

Olive Garden Salad Recipe

You are going to love this homemade Olive Garden Salad Recipe! With all the perfect fresh vegetable ingredients and homemade Olive Garden Salad dressing, this salad will be perfect for dinner!

Making copy cat recipes at home is one of my favorite things to do. I love finding meals I love at restaurants and then figuring out how to make them at home. This copy cat recipe is so easy to make, and a great way to change things up when you are having a salad with dinner.

Copy Cat Olive Garden salad recipe - Better than the original! (2)

What is an Olive Garden Salad?

Olive Garden salad is the amazing salad that you get when you are dining in at Olive Garden. A Salad that has lettuce, pepperoncini peppers, onions, tomatoes, black olives and croutons.

Make it a meal!

This Olive Garden Salad Recipe works great for a main dish and also for packing a lunch. You can also add protein like chicken or shrimp to this salad and make the salad a meal in itself. If you love eating at Olive Garden be sure to check out our other Olive Garden Copy Cat recipes!

  • Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
  • Shrimp Alfredo
  • Chicken Gnocchi Soup
  • Olive Garden Chicken
  • Copy Cat Olive Garden Ziti al Forno
Copy Cat Olive Garden salad recipe - Better than the original! (3)

Tips for making this salad

Use fresh ingredients. When making any salad the ingredients used will make or break it. You want fresh ingredients including firm tomatoes, crispy lettuce and quality red onions.

Keep it simple. I like to keep things easy and grab a bag of American Salad blend because it has the carrots and cabbage in it already. If you want to use fresh chopped lettuce, then you can. Just add 1/4 cup of sliced red cabbage and 1/4 cup of shredded carrots.

Use grated parmesan cheese. I like to grate a block of parmesan cheese when making this salad, but if you only have the store bought canister you can use that too. If you like more parmesan cheese you can also shred it instead of grating it.

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Can I make this in advance?

You sure can! This salad is great for making a head of time and meal planning. I do suggest that you wait to put the dressing on top until you are ready to eat it so the lettuce stays crispy. I like to put the keto olive garden salad in small mason jars and then the dressing in a container and then I just add the dressing when I am going to eat my salad.

If you are wanting to enjoy it for lunches I suggest only making 2-3 days worth at a time. The fresher the better and it is so easy to make that you can quickly toss it together as long as you have the ingredients on hand.

You can make a large batch of olive garden salad dressing to keep in the fridge to use any time you want it and make a fresh salad.

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Olive Garden Salad Ingredients

  • 1 batch Olive Garden Salad Dressing
  • Bagged American Salad blend
  • pepperoncini peppers
  • tomato
  • red onion
  • black olives
  • croutons
  • parmesan cheese

How to Make Olive Garden Salad

Wash and chop the tomatoes, slice the olives and the onions.

In a large bowl place the bag of salad mix, then add the pepperoncini peppers, chopped tomatoes, sliced onions, sliced olives, croutons and grated parmesan cheese.

Use a salad spoon to mix everything together, then pour the homemade Olive Garden Salad dressing on top of the salad and toss with salad utensils.

Easy Salad Recipes

  • Chicken Caesar Salad
  • Chicken Taco Salad
  • Beef taco salad
  • BLT Salad
  • Strawberry Spinach Salad
  • Crispy chicken, cranberry and apple salad
  • Big Mac Salad

Copy Cat Olive Garden salad recipe - Better than the original! (6)

Olive Garden Salad

Created by Lauren

3.76 from 397 votes

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 minute min

Servings 4

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

This Copy Cat Olive Garden salad recipe is the perfect make at home recipe of the restaurant version. With crisp lettuce, pepperoncini peppers, onions, tomatoes, black olives, croutons and homemade Olive Garden salad dressing. This hearty salad is perfect as a side dish, or add some grilled chicken or shrimp to make it a meal.

Ingredients

Olive Garden Salad Ingredients

  • 1 batch Olive Garden Salad Dressing
  • 1 10 ounce bag American Salad blend
  • 6 pepperoncini peppers
  • 1 to mato sliced
  • 1/4 red onion thinly sliced
  • 12 black olives
  • 1 cup croutons
  • 1 tablespoon parmesan grated

Olive Garden Salad Dressing Ingredients

Instructions

How to Make Olive Garden Salad Dressing

  • Using a cheese grated, grate the parmesan cheese.

  • Add the olive oil, white wine vinegar, parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic salt and Italian seasoning to the blender.

  • Use the pulse feature or blend option and blend until smooth and everything is well mixed together.

  • Serve immediately, or store in the fridge.

How to Make Olive Garden Salad

  • Wash and chop the tomatoes, slice the olives and the onions.

  • In a large bowl place the bag of salad mix, then add the pepperoncini peppers, chopped tomatoes, sliced onions, sliced olives, croutons and grated parmesan cheese.

  • Use a salad spoon to mix everything together, then pour the homemade Olive Garden Salad dressing on top of the salad and toss with salad utensils.

Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 645mg | Potassium: 241mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 775IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 1mg

olive garden salad

Salad, Side Dish

Video

Copy Cat Olive Garden salad recipe - Better than the original! (7)

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ABOUT LAUREN

Hey There! I am Lauren, a short mom (4 foot 10 to be exact!) who has a passion for helping others and always has a cup of coffee in hand. With amazing recipes to help the home cook become a home chef, along with fun family travel, fun crafts and More! Grab a cup of coffee and join me! Read more...

Created by Stephanie

With a degree from the Culinary Institute of America in baking and pastry arts, a love for tasty food and amazing photography skills Stephanie brings the amazing recipe ideas we come up with to life. Stephanie loves crafting, all things Disney and traveling whenever possible.

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Anne K says

    Ths was delicious! People thought I bought the salad from Olive Garden! Perfect for an Easter family dinner. Thank you!

    Reply

  2. Kathy says

    This was GREAT! So close to what you get at Olive Garden or their bottled dressing you can buy at the store. Thank you for the recipe!!!

    Reply

  3. Linda says

    I’m also 4′ 10″, I don’t mind my size at all. Yes there are times I have challenges. But I love to cook. I cook a lot for my church. I don’t have a large family to cook for anymore and don’t know how to cook small. I would love to try your recipes.

    Reply

  4. Pamela says

    Hi Lauren,
    Tried this a couple of weeks ago and it is a great recipe! It is now my go to salad recipe. Making it again tonight to go with my chicken cacciatore! Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

Copy Cat Olive Garden salad recipe - Better than the original! (2024)

FAQs

What is the olive garden salad dressing made of? ›

Ingredients. Water, Soybean Oil, Distilled Vinegar, Sugar, Salt, Eggs, Romano Cheese (Pasteurized Part Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Dehydrated Garlic, Spice, Xanthan Gum, Dextrose, Annatto Color, Calcium Disodium EDTA Added to Protect Flavor, Natural Flavor.

What salad do they give at Olive Garden? ›

Our famous jumbo house salad is topped with olives, onions, pepperoncini and tomatoes. Includes our signature salad dressing, croutons, and parmesan cheese. Includes a dozen breadsticks.

What makes a salad more delicious? ›

Season the greens & vegetables

This also creates layers of flavor, giving your salad depth. Another way to add layers is by adding prepared ingredients to your salad like pickles, marinated or grilled veggies, or anything brined, like olives or capers.

What kind of croutons does Olive Garden use? ›

Our croutons are made with Romano cheese, seasoned with garlic, Italian herbs and spices, and baked to a delicious golden brown. Try all of Olive Garden's® signature ingredients.

What olive oil makes best salad dressing? ›

For Dressings: California Olive Ranch

California Olive Ranch is a softer oil that is fruity and balanced, making it great for vinaigrettes. Some chefs use a blend of olive oil and a neutral oil in dressings so the oil doesn't overpower the other flavors, but this oil can do the job of both.

Why do restaurant salads taste better than homemade? ›

Restaurants salt their salads.

"Salt is a big difference between salads at home and salads in a restaurant." This doesn't mean you have to make your salads salty! Just hold back some salt when seasoning your dressing.

Is olive garden salad fresh or bagged? ›

Salads – And Most Other Dishes – Are Made Fresh

Additionally, the online ordering platform allows you to hold the olives, tomatoes, onions, and/or pepperoncini if you're getting a salad for pick-up.

How do restaurants make salads so crisp? ›

The Keys to Crisp Lettuce

Lettuce actually needs a good amount of airflow, in addition to a bit of moisture (but not too much!), in order to stay crisp. That's why restaurants store their lettuce in special perforated bins that allow for air circulation while it's held in the fridge.

Is olive garden salad healthy? ›

House salad (without croutons) with low-fat dressing, and minestrone soup. Olive garden is famous for their house salad and breadsticks. Paired with minestrone soup, it's a healthier meal, although the sodium content is high. Omit the breadstick to reduce the sodium, fat, and calories.

Is Olive Garden's food made from scratch? ›

Our soup and sauce masters create dishes by hand and from scratch, every day. With fresh, whole ingredients like kale, peppers and squash. Because they know cooking that way – the Italian way- everything tastes better. to everything they make.

What can I add to salad to make it taste better? ›

Other add-ins to try: briny olives, salty capers, tangy sauerkraut, full-flavored blue cheese or gorgonzola, or a spoonful of jarred mango chutney. It's all about adding a bit of wow factor to make it even more appetizing to have salads on your daily menu.

How healthy is olive garden salad dressing? ›

There are 40 calories in a 1 tablespoon (15.000g) serving size of Olive Garden Italian Dressing. The calorie breakdown is 90% fat, 10% carbs, and 0% protein.

Is store bought Olive Garden dressing the same? ›

The next time you're dining in, you can add a bottle or two directly onto your order and take home that salty, tangy dressing to spice up your homemade salads. And don't worry — it's exactly the same as what Olive Garden normally serves.

What are the ingredients in Olive Garden light dressing? ›

Water, Distilled Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Soybean Oil, Salt, Romano Cheese (Milk, Salt, Cultures, Enzymes), Garlic*, Egg Yolk, Natural Flavor, Modified Corn Starch, Xanthan Gum, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Spice, Potassium Sorbate Added To Maintain Freshness, Red Bell Pepper*, Annatto Extract, Calcium Disodium ...

What are the ingredients in Olive Garden Caesar dressing? ›

Our rich, creamy classic caesar dressing is crafted with parmesan cheese, red wine vinegar, lemon, anchovies, and spices. A delicious Italian classic! and at only 90 calories per serving for a snack the entire family will love.

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